Kerry to Congress: Don’t limit ISIS war or block ground troops

Secretary of State John Kerry testifies about a congressional Authorization for the Use of Military Force against the Islamic State, December 9, 2014 in Washington, DC. (AFP Photo/Chip Somodevilla) / AFP

Secretary of State John Kerry told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that any congressional authorization of military force against Islamic State militants should not prohibit the use of ground troops or limit the battles in Iraq and Syria.

Kerry said that President Barack Obama “has been crystal
clear” about his preference to rely on local forces to
defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (IS, also known as
ISIS/ISIL). But Kerry told the Senate committee that any measure
authorizing the use of military force (AUMF) should not ban the
use of American ground forces, or place a “geographic
limitation” on the effort.

“[W]e certainly believe this is the soundest policy, and
while the president has been clear he's open to clarifications on
the use of US combat troops to be outlined in an AUMF, that does
not mean we should preemptively bind the hands of the commander
in chief – or our commanders in the field – in responding to
scenarios and contingencies that are impossible to foresee,”
Kerry said.

Kerry
said the administration does not anticipate taking operations
beyond Iraq or Syria, but if IS poses a threat to American
interests or personnel in other countries, it wouldn’t want any
constraints set up by the AUMF to use force in other
locations.

“In our view, it would be
a mistake to advertise to ISIL that there are safe havens for
them outside of Iraq and Syria,” Kerry told lawmakers, as quoted
by The Hill. He added that "none of us can
anticipate"
possible security scenarios in the future, such as a high-stakes
hostage situation or if IS comes upon a chemical weapons
cache.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee plans to take up the
authorization on Thursday. As it currently stands, the three-year
authorization would ban ground troops but give the president
authority to target IS and other groups fighting on its behalf.
It would also require the administration to report back to
lawmakers every 60 days.

“In my view, deployment of ground troops at this time would
be Groundhog Day in Iraq all over again,” said Menendez,
according to The Hill.

Menendez noted that his
version does not "constrain" the administration because it
allows ground forces"as necessary for the protection or
rescue of US soldiers or citizen or for intelligence operations,
spotters to enable airstrikes, operational planning; or other
forms of advice and assistance."

Still, few expect
Congress to approve the new war powers before the end of the
session this year.

"Whatever passes out of committee this week is not going to
become law," Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the incoming
chairman of the Committee, told AP. He said the Committee also
wants to hear from intelligence and defense officials.